Need quick help on jogging stroller--leaning towards BOB but the price is right on the Tike Tech ATX

Hi everyone, I need some input. We need a jogging stroller to take my 3.5 yr old son on trails (he has special needs and can't walk yet. We have a wheelchair for him when we walk on smooth surfaces, but it is most definitely not "trail-ready", lol). We don't run and barely jog, so we're really focused on the all-terrain aspects of the stroller. We live in the Midwest so the nearby trails aren't like the Rocky Mountains or anything, but we would eventually like to get more into camping, and just be able to go to parks and do trails that we can't right now.

I think I'm pretty sold on the BOB--between the reviews here and other online sites, it looks like just what we need. My only concern is that tall people seem to think it's the perfect height for them, lol. I'm only 5'4", so will it be too tall for me? Does it have an adjustable handlebar? (Dh is 6'0", so adjustability would be nice.)

I also saw the Tike Tech ATX on joggingstroller.com. I guess b/c it's newer, it doesn't have as many reviews as the BOB and the search I did on it here turned up only a few replies too (it did have an adjustable handlebar though...). It's nice that it's $100 cheaper than the BOB, but I'd rather pay the extra money if the BOB is really of superior quality, and/or more able to handle "all-terrain".

We're hoping to have it for next weekend so I'd like to buy ASAP and pay for quick shipping if need be. I'm a little nervous about buying something like this online but there are no specialty stores near me that carry these products (the joggingstroller.com warehouse is about 90 minutes away though, would it be worth the ride? Can we see products there or is it just, literally, a warehouse and customers can't go there?)

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Kristen

P.S. My son is a little guy, only 25 lbs. and about 36".

Hi Kristen- I don't think you can go wrong with the BOB :) I love mine and it's been a real workhorse. I'm only 5'2 and I've never had a problem pushing it. The shocks are great, it has an awesome hood, big basket if you need that, and my kids both love to ride in it. I bought mine 3 years ago through joggingstroller.com. I had never seen one IRL but never regretted buying it. I still love it every time I use it :) HTH--

If you're not really a jogger, you'd probably be a lot happier with a swivel wheel jogger, as they're much more maneuverable and versatile. I'd look into the Mountain Buggy Urban Single, the Kiwi Explorer E3, Valco Runabout or Rebel. I bought a double jogger for walking and got frustrated with having to lift the front wheel to steer. This is funny because I love my fixed wheel pram (which is also an option for all-terrain walking).

Sharon

I would agree with the PP in general, but it depends on what type of trails you're planning to go on. I have a Zooper Zydeco, which is a swivel-wheel 3-wheeler and although it does fine on a variety of terrains (grass, gravel, etc.) in swivel-wheel mode, I wouldn't take it hiking on a "real" trail b/c the wheel that swivels doesn't perform optimally if the terrain is really uneven or rocky. I just went to "test drive" the BOB since I'm thinking of buying it and it was actually MUCH easier to steer than I'd feared it would be. The whole center of gravity of the stroller is much further back (toward the "driver") vs. the Zydeco, which can be a bit of a pain to steer in fixed wheel mode. Even if you can't test drive the BOB before you make your purchase, you might want to go somewhere and test drive ANY upper end fixed-wheel jogger (like Baby Jogger or Dreamer Design) you can find to make sure you'd be comfortable with the way the fixed-wheel joggers steer. If you are, I think the BOB would be a great option for trails (one of my anticipated uses, if I buy it!)